The Total Teacher: Useful Planning Tips for Intermediate Classrooms

The Total Teacher Book and Planner

by Lorraine T. Milark

(Jossey Bass, 2009)

Reviewed by Kristen Sluiter

Fourth Grade Teacher (WA)

New Millennium Network

The Total Teacher Book and Planner, subtitled The All-In-One System that Gets You Organized, Empowered and Inspired To Teach Your Best is a thoughtful, well put together organization system for teachers. Touted as a useful tool for educators in grades K-12, the content speaks best to intermediate teachers and would need to be modified for primary, middle and high school students.

It is organized in three main parts; one to explain the Total Teacher Philosophy, one to explain the Total Teacher Plan and one to provide a month-by-month breakdown of tips that can help set the tone for an organized and productive school year.

The Total Teacher Book and Planner’s goal is to help teachers create a system that will benefit students and teachers alike. She offers up useful techniques for focusing on creating a business-like but joyful environment in one’s classroom. Much like a college professor, Milark believes that students at all grade levels should receive a syllabus. She has created various tools that emphasize that time is a precious commodity. She suggests that all classrooms have a calendar with a countdown, use a curve strategy to visualize progress (updated by giving frequent quizzes based on mastering standards) and teach the 24-hour clock.

Teacher and students root the Total Teacher Plan in state standards, broken down into five-week blocks, shared with students and routinely monitored. Her approach is very linear and straightforward — essentially she offers nothing new in the idea that most successful yearlong planning begins by planning backwards. An accompanying CD-ROM offers her template for a planner. Milark stresses that though we are in school 180 days, not all the days end up being teaching days, and to plan accordingly.

Though her approach to planning isn't revolutionary by any means, it does offer insights and tips to focus and hone your organizational skills with step-by-step instructions. These details are what really make this book stand out as a useful tool for new and experienced teachers alike.

Milark doesn’t just tout her philosophy of organization — she makes it accessible to all who may struggle with knowing where to start. Her month-by-month tips are exciting and creative but may not seem realistic in classroom settings where students can be between 1-2 grade levels behind and pacing guides rule the day.

Kristen Sluiter is an elementary district in “a district south of Seattle.” She worked for several years in schools with the Washington Reading Corps/AmeriCorps VISTA program before earning her Masters in Teaching from Evergreen State College in 2007.